They are images plastered in the headlines: tension between law enforcement and the citizen.

“Any city can be one incident away from all the attention,” Erie Police Chief Randy Bowers says.

That is why Chief Bowers, Millcreek Chief Mike Tesore, District Attorney Jack Daneri and several other local authorities were together in one room. They were addressing questions and concerns for anyone who had them.

“We’re busy,” Judge Bob Sambroak says. “We have tough jobs but I also think its part of our obligation to educate the community and be out there as much as we can.”

Dozens showed for a public forum Wednesday night. It was hosted by the Neighborhood Resource Organization.

The theme is, “How the Justice System Works.”

“I’m not afraid to explain why I did what I did and why I do what I do,” Judge Sambroak says. “Anyone that wants to know, all they have to do is ask.”

“I would say with the weather warming up, I’d think that criminal activity will increase, it’s sad to say, so this will help well prepare us for the knowledge that we need to keep doing our roll,” East Avenue Neighborhood Watch member Jerry Priscaro says.